WEST BOUNTIFUL—The South Davis Sewer District has become more energy efficient and it’s paid off. The district received a check for $402,776 from Rocky Mountain Power last week as part of its Wattsmart program that incentivizes commercial and residential customers to save energy.

“We swapped out a large natural gas compressor with a smaller, more efficient compressor with a variable frequency drive so it’s not using as much power when it starts up,” said South Davis Sewer District General Manager Matt Myers. “Wattsmart came through and looked at the plant’s energy efficiency in wastewater treatment then they identified a compressor replacement.”

Wattsmart is a program Rocky Mountain Power runs, he said. “They have people who look at a project in an industry or public entity. They pay for improvements through reimbursement after they come back and verify the improvement generated the intended savings.”

On another project there were just minor things such as turning the lights out and operating air compressors at lower settings, said Myers. “That netted us about $9,000.”

The natural gas compressor that was replaced was 1,400 horsepower before, he said. “The new one is 800. That’s a lot of efficiency there.”

Myers said they spent more than $400,000 on the project but Rocky Mountain does have a cap. “It didn’t cover it all but it covered a good chunk and it saves on our electric bill.”

“Customers can contact us and someone will come out and do an assessment to see where they can save on energy,” said Logan Taggart, Regional Business Manager, Rocky Mountain Power. “We have engineers who have partnered with us to do an analysis and calculate what the savings would be. The sewer district is a great project that will have huge savings.”

Applicants must go through a pre approval process and submit an application to get the right parties involved in the assessment, he said. “It can be commercial or a business but residential as well.”

Logan said the money for reimbursements comes from the customers. “A portion of their bill pays for these programs. Being more energy efficient helps us keep some of the lowest rates in the country.”

For more information on the Wattsmart program visit rockymountainpower.net and look under “Savings & Energy Choices” or call their customer service at 877-508-5088.